


The Finer Things in Life

by Deathangelgw



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Bad Cooking, Fluff, Gen, Humor, Post-War, Sappy
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-10-24
Updated: 2016-10-24
Packaged: 2018-08-24 09:29:38
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 6,386
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8367130
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Deathangelgw/pseuds/Deathangelgw
Summary: Ron and Harry are trying to figure out what to give Hermione for her birthday, with interesting results.





	1. Chapter 1

Title: The Finer Things in Life pt. 1/4

Author: Deathangelgw

Challenge: Post Hogwarts- Ron and Harry try to prepare Hermione dinner with humorous results.

Disclaimer: Harry Potter and co. belongs to J.K. Rowlings. Bless her heart! :P I waaaaaaaaant em!!

Warnings: AU, fluff, humor, sap.

Word Count: 1081 words

Rating: PG-13 at the worst!

Pairing: trio! Hr/HP/RW

Summary: Harry and Ron want to do something special for Hermione. But who knew Muggle cooking was so hard!

A/N: First, thanks to MA for the beta! I wuv yooooou! Secondly, this is for the triofqf on LJ. A special thanks to calliope_14 for 'leading' me here and to tarie for just being a great mod here! This is my first time writing Trio, so be brutal! Much thanks and feedback is very much appreciated! Enjoy!

 

'thoughts'

 

"Ron?"

 

The soft question brought the red-head out of the thorough perusal of the latest 'Quidditch Weekly' that he was going through, causing him to look up with a frown. He eyed his best friend and flat-mate with something akin to exasperation and befuddlement. "Yea mate?" he asked finally when an outward search brought nothing to the fore on why he was being brought out of his daily ritual of Quidditch absorption.

 

Harry fiddled with his quill, having been forced to stop writing up an Auror training report as his mind was bombarded with strange thoughts. "Um…do you have any ideas on what is next week?" he mumbled, glancing up quickly with caution before refocusing on the twirling feather.

 

Brow wrinkling in a sure sign of confusion, yet still trying to sound like he understood, Ron placed his now to be neglected 'bible' on the table and propped his elbow onto the wooden surface. "Er…no. Am I supposed to?" he asked as he smooshed his cheek onto the fist that had formed on the end of his arm as a pillow for said cheek.

 

Sighing softly as he sat back, Harry looked at his best friend with something akin to exasperation. "Ron…it's Hermione's birthday next week," he finally said, rolling his eyes at the utter confusion on Ron's face.

 

"Oh? Oh…ooooh! OH! It's…where did the time go?" Ron exclaimed as realization finally struck him with the force of a bludger. He sat up, and then slumped in his chair. "Well, ok…so what are we supposed to do?" he inquired, confusion reigning once again on his face.

 

Smacking his forehead at his friend's cluelessness, Harry prayed to Merlin and some other obscure gods that he has the strength before looking at his friend again. "We…should…do…something…special…for…her," he said slowly, hoping the reduced speed of speech might penetrate the fog that seemed to cloud Ron when it came to emotions and feeling the feminine side of life.

 

Brow wrinkling as he took in the words, Ron stared at the table top. "Oh. So…what should we do?" he asked finally after a few minutes of mulling on the words.

 

Flushing slightly, Harry sighed. "Um, s'why I was asking you. Thought you might have something," he replied in embarrassment as Ron looked at him with something akin to horror.

 

"Harry, I don't get ideas! That's yours and Hermione's job!" Ron exclaimed in disbelief.

 

"Yea I know but er…well I was just kinda hoping…" Harry trailed off and they sighed in unison before both took an interest in the table top.

 

The clock ticked loudly in the room, occasionally chiming the wrong time as the two considered what they could do for their best friend/fellow flat-mate. Finally, with great trepidation, Ron spoke up. "Um…why don't we er…make her dinner or somethin'?"

 

Silence greeted his suggestion for the exact time span of five seconds before Harry whispered, "You are bloody brilliant!"

 

Ron's head snapped up at that, his eyes wide with surprise as he stared at the now excited Harry. "S-say what?" He squeaked out, disbelieving the fact that he had come up with a plan. And a good one at that!

 

"Yea! We could cook her dinner! Make it all nice and ro-stuff-" Harry flushed as he changed what he'd been about to say. They weren't romantically involved, any of them, and most likely would stay that way. It was just too complicated to transfer their deep friendship to being lovers. That…and he had no idea if they would even consider it…

 

"Brilliant! And I thought of it too!" Ron said with a beaming smile, making Harry's heart skip a beat. He picked up his paper and straightened it out, grinning. "Right then…think of something and go to it," he mumbled before he became once more engrossed in the stats and profiles of his favorite team.

 

Staring at Ron before rolling his eyes heavenward in a plea for sanity, Harry knew then what Hermione felt when dealing with Ron on certain things. With a sigh, he went over to the cupboard, pulled out a cookbook, and began his own perusal in the search for the perfect dinner. Silence once again reigned in the room, broken here and there by the rustle of pages turning or by the clock.

 

Sitting back, Harry murmured softly as he looked at the different recipes. He glanced up and finally looked at Ron. "Hey, how about we try a lobster dinner?" he asked, smirking as the red-head looked up and blinked owlishly at him as if just waking up.

 

"Do you know how to cook lobster?" Ron shot back with doubt in his voice as he put down his paper once again.

 

"Er well I that is to say…um, no," Harry replied sheepishly as he flushed and ducked his head slightly, clearing his throat in embarrassment.

 

"Well then, let's not," Ron pointed out as he rolled his eyes. Scooting his chair over so he was next to Harry, Ron looked at the cookbook with feigned wisdom. "Hmm…what about f-flambeed salmon?" he questioned as he pointed at the page.

 

"Do you even know how to flambe?" Harry asked incredulously as he stared at his best friend.

 

"Right er…ok, well, what about this?" Ron pointed to another recipe and both looked at it intently, studying it.

 

"Doesn't look…*too* hard…" Harry murmured uncertainly, glancing at his red haired friend. "Should we try it?"

 

"How hard can a soufflé be?" Ron scoffed as he waved a hand, though his face showed his insecurity before he smiled brightly.

 

"Um, yea…ok sure! Tomorrow we'll make a soufflé!" Harry said with a laugh as he glanced at the recipe once again, feeling hopeful. This would be a piece of cake for sure!

 

TBC

 


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Well that didn't work...next!

Title: The Finer Things in Life pt. 2/4

Author: Deathangelgw

Challenge: Post Hogwarts- Ron and Harry try to prepare Hermione dinner with humorous results.

Disclaimer: Harry Potter and co. belongs to J.K. Rowlings. Bless her heart! :P I waaaaaaaaant em!!

Warnings: AU, fluff, humor, sap.

Word Count: 1065 words

Rating: PG-13 at the worst!

Pairing: trio! Hr/HP/RW

Summary: Harry and Ron want to do something special for Hermione. But who knew Muggle cooking was so hard!

A/N: First, thanks to MA for the beta! I wuv yooooou! Secondly, this is for the triofqf on LJ. A special thanks to calliope_14 for 'leading' me here and to tarie for just being a great mod here! This is my first time writing Trio, so be brutal! Much thanks and feedback is very much appreciated! Enjoy!

 

'thoughts'

 

The scent of burning food drifted throughout the flat as Hermione came home from her day of work. She cocked an eyebrow and prayed silently that it wasn't what she was thinking it was as she went into the kitchen. She stopped in the doorway, staring as she took in the sight before her.

 

Clumps of dough were dripping slowly off of the counter as the juices from spilled cooking oil trickled to the floor. Peelings were scattered across the counter tops, mingling with spilled spices, egg shells, and utensils. A figure was bent before the oven, coughing through the black billowing smoke that was coming from the open baking appliance.

 

She cleared her throat loudly and winced as the bent figure started, bumping his head on the oven top with a curse. "Ron? What are you doing?" she asked as she crossed her arms in front of her while leaning against the doorjamb.

 

Straightening in surprise, Ron looked over and flushed brightly, though it was barely seen through the soot and other various gobs of food on his face. "H-Hermione! You're home early!" he stuttered out nervously as he poked his fingers together in a gesture of uneasiness.

 

"No I'm not," Hermione said softly as she cocked her eyebrow, still waiting for an explanation.

 

Swallowing visibly, Ron looked around at the mess, then at the smoking oven. "I…er…um…"

 

"Hey Ron! I found the-Hermione! Y-You're home early!" Harry cried as he skidded to a halt at the other door, eyes wide and anxious as he held his wand and a large book.

 

Sighing in exasperation, Hermione rolled her eyes, flicked her wand out, and cleaned up the mess. She shook her head in disgust as she left the room, leaving them watching her in dismay and guilt. "Better get whatever you're baking out or it'll burn the house down,” she called over her shoulder as she went to get ready for dinner…which was going to be out.

 

Ron and Harry looked at each other guiltily, then at the now clean counter tops and the still smoking oven. "I…don't think she's happy, Ron," Harry mumbled as he opened the book, found the charm he needed, and put out the oven fire.

 

Sighing, Ron rubbed a hand on his face, smearing the soot and goop more. "We're never going to be able to do this by next week and she'll find out, Harry," he almost whined out, his voice cracking in his distress.

 

"Sure we will! We'll just…try something else!" Harry said in mock cheerfulness, though he was far from cheerful on the inside as he cleaned out the burned baking pan. "Maybe not soufflé next time…" he muttered as he wrinkled his nose. "I wonder what we messed up…"

 

"Maybe having it at 550 degrees wasn't such a smart idea. Though I still say the higher the temperature the faster it'll bake," Ron asserted stubbornly as he crossed his arms over his chest and glaring at the blackened food.

 

Harry snorted as he cleaned up the pots and put everything away. "Oh well…we'll try again tomorrow. Let's get cleaned up and take her out to dinner," he replied with a grin as Ron visibly brightened and ran out to get changed. Once alone, Harry crossed his fingers. 'Oh I hope we can learn this! It would be such a surprise for her…' he thought before leaving to get ready himself.

 

*~~**~~*

 

After dinner, the two Gryffindor males sat with their heads close together, as they perused the cookbooks in front of them. Hermione had gone to bed already, having made them promise not to cook anymore. Of course, not having seen the crossed fingers, she blissfully slept in the ‘sure knowledge’ that she was being obeyed.

 

“Hey look! Why don’t we try to make this chicken cord on blee uh?” Ron asked as he pointed to one of the recipes.

 

“Um…Ron? That’s Cordon Bleu,” Harry corrected his friend while he smirked, shaking his head as his friend cocked an eyebrow at him.

 

“The difference is…?” Ron asked in disbelief.

 

“The accent and tone. It’s French,” Harry replied with a shrug.

 

“French…they should be hung for such stupid words,” Ron muttered as he glared at the recipe for being so offensive. “So, whatcha think?” he asked impatiently as he waved his hand at the book.

 

“Hmmm…” Harry looked at the ingredients, not quite understanding what he was reading. “Well…I think so. We just need to get some of the ingredients for sure…” he murmured thoughtfully, then grinned at Ron. “Sure why not! Betcha we could talk to your mom if necessary,” he said as he stretched and yawned.

 

Ron watched him stretch, a soft blush covering his cheeks as he watched his best mate’s muscles ripple underneath the light t-shirt Harry was wearing for bed. He cleared his throat and looked away as Harry glanced at him in curiosity, then covered his slip by saying, “Well I don’t know on that. I mean…she talks a lot. You know women.”

 

“Eh, true…but she’d be a help,” Harry pointed out with a smile before standing and quietly closing the book. “All right…let’s head for bed. I’m beat,” he said as he stretched again and headed out. “Night Ron!”

 

“Yea…night…” Ron mumbled, his eyes trained on the piece of tight ass he was glimpsing as Harry’s boxer clad ass left the room. He sighed inwardly and scrubbed a hand over his face. ‘Mind off that, mate…he’d never go for it,’ he told himself firmly before getting up and shutting off the lights. Next day was gonna be busy!

 

TBC

 


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> So close yet so far!

Title: The Finer Things in Life pt. 3/4

Author: Deathangelgw

Challenge: Post Hogwarts- Ron and Harry try to prepare Hermione dinner with humorous results.

Disclaimer: Harry Potter and co. belongs to J.K. Rowlings. Bless her heart! :P I waaaaaaaaant em!!

Warnings: AU, fluff, humor, sap.

Word Count:1,521 words

Rating: PG-13 at the worst!

Pairing: trio! Hr/HP/RW

Summary: Harry and Ron want to do something special for Hermione. But who knew Muggle cooking was so hard!

A/N: First, thanks to MA for the beta! I wuv yooooou! Secondly, this is for the triofqf on LJ. A special thanks to calliope_14 for 'leading' me here and to tarie for just being a great mod here! This is my first time writing Trio, so be brutal! Much thanks and feedback is very much appreciated! Enjoy!

 

'thoughts'

 

"Do you think that this sauce looks right?" Ron's voice floated from the kitchen as Harry came back with another washcloth to clean up the numerous globs of bread crumbs and egg yolk, signs of their latest 'experiment'.

 

"Um…it's a bit orange, don't you think?" Harry replied quietly, eyes wide as he saw the nearly neon orange liquid that was sloshing against the mixing bowl.

 

"Maybe. I did put in some more of that havestard," Ron murmured as he ran his finger into the sauce and looked at it as it dripped from his finger in a runny line.

 

"You mean mustard and I don't think it was supposed to go in this sauce," Harry said in bemusement as he stared at his best friend/flatmate. He looked at the recipe book and pointed. "See? It says to add in canola oil. Why did you put in mustard?" He asked in utter confusion.

 

"Well it looked the same…" Ron trailed off as he peered at the book, frowning as he stirred. "I thought just adding water to dilute it would help."

 

"Ron…you amaze me sometimes," Harry exclaimed in astonishment as he stared at his friend. He went back to cleaning up as he added, "I think maybe you better clean that out and start again. Follow the directions this time."

 

"Yea yea…but what is canola oil anyways?" Ron muttered as he cast a cleaning charm on the mixture. He cried out as it exploded all over him, covering him in runny, neon orange goop.

 

"What did you do?!" Harry cried in shock as he stared at his friend.

 

"Musta been the botuber roots," Ron replied sheepishly as he stared forlornly at the ground.

 

"Botub-Ron, why don't you clean up and I'll start the sauce? You can get the chicken and ham ready for filling then," Harry suggested with barely held calm, trying not to twitch at his friend's cluelessness.

 

"Yea ok. Be right back," Ron responded with a sigh before heading for the bathroom to get cleaned up.

 

Harry shook his head as he went about cleaning up, then brought out the thawed chicken breasts as well as the large ham they had gotten for this, having soaked it in water to get rid of the excess salt. That was one thing he remembered from Aunt Petunia…

 

He smiled as Ron came back in and began reading how to prepare the meat. "We can use that big baking stone that Hermione's mom gave as a house warming gift," he said as he stirred the sauce he was making, smiling at Ron.

 

Ron returned the smile and went about putting the ham into the baking stone. He stopped then and stared at the ham as he held a couple of chicken breasts, the ever-familiar confusion present on his tanned face. "Um…Harry?"

 

"Yea? What's wrong?" Harry turned at the questioning tone to find his friend looking at him.

 

"Um…how are we putting this…" Ron pointed at the ham with one chicken breast, "Into these?"

 

"Oh…um…" Harry frowned in perplexity as he came over and studied the ham, tapping his chin as he chewed on his lip. "Well um…"

 

"How about…this?" Ron suggested as he began carefully placing the chicken breasts onto the ham, carefully aligning them like a puzzle until the entire ham was covered in chicken breasts.

 

Cocking an eyebrow as he felt his eye twitch, Harry watched his friend in quiet disbelief which was carefully schooled into an expression of neutrality as Ron turned to him in a look for an opinion. "Well I…good idea, um…Ron," Harry offered weakly, then bit his lip as Ron turned from him to look at the cookbook.

 

"Oh…wait." Ron's statement caught Harry's attention immediately as he heard the sheepish tone. "Um…it says here that the ham has to be sliced."

 

"Oh…oh! OH…oh…hmmm," Harry trailed off as they looked at each other in bafflement. "So…how do we do that?" He asked and frowned as Ron shrugged in confusion.

 

"Um…well, maybe a simple slicing charm?" Ron offered, then grinned as Harry rolled his eyes while hitting his forehead.

 

"OH yea no kidding! Good idea, Ron. You start while I finish the sauce," Harry said with a grin and a nod. Pleased, Ron started the charm on the ham, slicing it into neat piles on the plate. He then scratched his head and stood back. Harry noticed and glanced over. "What's wrong?"

 

"Well uh…how are we going to get the ham and cheese into the chicken?" Ron asked as he scratched his head.

 

"Just put a slit into it so it's kinda like a slot," Harry replied with a smile, winking as Ron rolled his eyes.

 

"Er right…I'm not with it, mate. Give me a sec," Ron shot back sarcastically before he set to the slicing of the chicken. They worked side by side for a few minutes in silence, nothing but the sounds of cutting and stirring interrupting the comfortable silence in between the two friends.

 

Finally, they set to work filling the chicken breasts, finding a rhythm swiftly as Ron put in the cheese and ham, then Harry placed the chicken on the pan and put the sauce on it. With rising confidence, the two young men put the dinner into the oven to bake and, hopefully, prove to be a success.

 

*~~**~~*

 

Hermione stared at the dinner before her with trepidation, then up at the two young men watching her anxiously. Slowly, she dug her fork into the steaming piece of chicken stuffed with green bits of broccoli, ham, and cheese and brought it to her suddenly dry mouth. With a fake smile, she took in the bite and slowly ate it.

 

Ron and Harry watched her intently, leaning forward nervously as they watched her chew through the bit of cordon bleu. Finally, Harry asked quietly, "Well?"

 

Swallowing almost painfully, Hermione quickly took a drink of the wine they had served as well before smiling slightly at them. "Well um…it's…chewy…and um…well seasoned…" she said hesitantly, not looking at them.

 

"Sooo…was it good?" Ron asked in confusion as he looked at Harry.

 

"Um…I think I need some…water," Hermione said quickly before getting up and heading for the kitchen to get some water as her two flatmates watched her go in bemusement before looking at each other.

 

"I…don't think she liked it," Harry reported dully as he put his chin on a fist and poked at his own portion of the dinner.

 

"But why? I mean, we followed the recipe, right?" Ron pointed out glumly as he also played with his portion. He scooped some of it up and put it into his mouth and began to chew under Harry's watchful gaze. He stopped chewing suddenly, then spit it out, coughing as he tried to gulp down wine without choking.

 

"What? What is it?" Harry asked in concern as he watched his best friend wipe his streaming eyes and clear his throat several times.

 

"Too much salt and I think there was an eggshell in the breading. And, the cheese isn't Swiss…" Ron gasped out roughly before swallowing another glass of wine.

 

"I thought I had gotten out all of the shell…" Harry mumbled as he got up to check what cheese they had used. He blinked, then flushed a deep red as he brought over the cheese. "Um, Ron…we needed Swiss cheese. Not the Swiss made version of Brie."

 

Ron blinked, then looked at the cheese. He flushed as deep a red as Harry and sighed. "Harry…this is hopeless. Maybe we should ask Mum for help or something," he murmured disheartedly.

 

"No…I don't think we should bother your mum. But…I think we need help. And I have an idea," Harry said firmly as he placed his hand over Ron's, smiling in encouragement. Ron returned the smile, making Harry's heart flutter at the beauty that shone from his friend's face. "Come on…let's clean up and take Hermione out…again."

 

"Yea…again," Ron echoed as he rolled his eyes before standing and patting Harry on the shoulder. He grabbed some of the plates and headed into the kitchen, never noticing Harry's gaze locked on his backside.

 

'Yea…again. Not that either of us minds…' Harry thought with a small smile as he got up to help clean up the dishes before going out for a late dinner.

 

TBC

 


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Au flambé!

Title: The Finer Things in Life pt. 4/4

Author: Deathangelgw

Challenge: Post Hogwarts- Ron and Harry try to prepare Hermione dinner with humorous results.

Disclaimer: Harry Potter and co. belongs to J.K. Rowlings. Bless her heart! :P I waaaaaaaaant em!!

Warnings: AU, fluff, humor, sap.

Word Count: 1286 words.

Rating: PG-13 at the worst!

Pairing: trio! Hr/HP/RW

Summary: Harry and Ron want to do something special for Hermione. But who knew Muggle cooking was so hard!

A/N: First, thanks to MA for the beta! I wuv yooooou! Secondly, this is for the triofqf on LJ. A special thanks to calliope_14 for 'leading' me here and to tarie for just being a great mod here! This is my first time writing Trio, so be brutal! A very special thanks to my sis for brainstorming with me on this one and the next part! Also thanks to my mom for the previous three!! Much thanks and feedback is very much appreciated! Enjoy!

A/N2: After looking at how it had gotten such a plot…expect an epilogue!

 

'thoughts'

 

Hermione hummed softly as she came home, wondering what the boys were up to this time. She stood still, listening in the silence for a sound that would clue her in on what to expect. Frowning as she heard nothing, she went inside, looking around. "Harry? Ron?" Her voice floated out softly, the silence surrounding her encouraging that hushed tone. She came into the living room and stopped, smiling at the sight before her.

 

Ron lay sprawled on the couch, with Harry between his legs and resting on his chest. They were both fast asleep, books on either their laps or chest as they slept on peacefully. She shook her head as she came over and tucked a blanket around them, noting the protective arm encircled around Harry's chest as well as the long fingers that were laced together. Her boys.

 

For as long as she could remember, Hermione had always considered them her boys. And she loved them…deeply. No matter what had happened, she knew that she could always count on them to be with her and they could count on her. They were a team…partners. More than friends.

 

Now if she could just get *them* to realize that…

 

Shaking her head again, she glanced around and picked up one of the books. She stifled a giggle as she read the title. 'One hundred ways to impress her with cooking...oh Merlin what are they up to?' she wondered not for the first time since that fateful night she had come home to find them trying to make soufflé. Or…something of that nature. The next night it had been cordon bleu, of which she'd had to drink six gallons of water to get rid of the taste in her mouth. Last night it had been an over-boiled chicken soup that had been so dry and salty she had barely been able to eat the broth, much less the meat and vegetables.

 

She sighed in relief that at least tonight; she'd be the one making dinner. Setting to it, she went about making a simple salad, lasagna, and garlic bread dinner. Whatever her boys were planning, she just hoped that they didn't kill them all off first.

 

*~~**~~*

 

"Harry…are you sure we should be here?" Ron's voice was filled with doubt as he glanced around the Muggle TV station before looking at his best friend.

 

"We need *some* kind of help, Ron. And I think if we go to one of these, we'll be able to pull off something nice for Hermione!" Harry replied, grinning in what he hoped was a reassuring grin. He didn't feel too reassuring at the moment as they stared up at the tall building before them.

 

They went inside and were directed towards a studio that already had a sizable crowd waiting for the TV show to begin. A Muggle came out, giving them some quick directions on conduct for the show as well as looking for volunteers for certain parts of what they'd be taping. Ron fidgeted next to Harry, then stilled as Harry laid a reassuring hand on his thigh, grinning at him playfully.

 

Sitting forward eagerly as the show started, both young Wizards watched in fascination as the chef made what appeared to be a rather simple dinner, in which a steak was cooked on a plate with alcohol. Flambéed steak with a side of a pasta salad and fresh vegetables.

 

Looking at each other with hope, Ron and Harry knew that they could do *this*. So, with an excited step to their walk, they headed home and began preparations once more.

 

*~~**~~*

 

A soft humming alerted the two young men of the return of their third flat mate and they quickly cleaned up the kitchen and set the table before she came into the dining room. Smiling together in delight, Ron and Harry hugged Hermione in welcome. "Hey! What are you two up to?" Hermione asked with a grin as she returned the hugs and allowed Harry to hang up her coat.

 

"We made you dinner!" Ron said, his smile slipping only a little as he saw her quickly hidden horror. He shook it off as he sat her down and they stood facing her as she sat nervously in her seat.

 

"R-Really? So um…what did you make?" Hermione asked uneasily as she glanced at the vegetables, which looked rather runny with the butter and water that hadn't been cooked out, and then at the pasta salad, which looked like the noodles hadn't been cooked all the way and the sauce had too much seasoning in it judging by the color consistency.

 

"You're gonna like this, Hermione. It's something we learned," Harry stated proudly as they brought over some half-way decent looking steaks on a plate.

 

She relaxed a little, thinking that maybe they had indeed finally managed to not mess up something. Her relief faded as Ron brought over some cooking wine and proceeded to douse the steaks quite thoroughly. 'Oh…they aren't…'

 

They were. Harry frowned slightly as Ron saturated the steaks, not even seeing the small trickle of the alcohol as it sloshed over the shallow dish. "Um…Ron?" he started, then stopped as Ron grinned at him in excitement, feeling it fade to the back at seeing Ron so hopeful that they had done something well.

 

With a flourish, Ron put the wine down next to him and brought out his wand. "Incendio!" He cried, sending a flame at the wine soaked steaks, lighting them up with a soft blue fire. Gasps went around in both delight and astonishment that nothing had gone wrong as the flames gently licked at the alcohol, spreading quickly

 

Ron's beaming smile faded slowly in consternation as the flames continued to grow. "Um…Harry? Are the flames supposed to be that big?" He squeaked out, eyes widening as the flames began moving to the table cloth, causing them to scramble back.

 

"No they aren't!" Harry shouted as the fire began to spread, going to the chairs as Hermione screamed and hurried out of the way. Suddenly, a loud explosion sounded as the cooking alcohol that Ron had forgotten was on the table heated up and exploded, sending fire all around.

 

"Put it out!!" Hermione cried as she grabbed her wand and, all three working together, put out the raging fire.

 

Standing together, the three stared at the smoking blackened dining room, two disheartened and embarrassed and one rather irritated. Hermione huffed and walked out, grabbed her cloak as well as a midnight bag, and Apparated to Ginny's place for the night.

 

Looking at each other, Ron and Harry sighed softly before they began cleaning up. Another mess down the tubes.

 

TBC

 


	5. Chapter 5

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Did they do it?

Title: The Finer Things in Life Epilogue

Author: Deathangelgw

Challenge: Post Hogwarts- Ron and Harry try to prepare Hermione dinner with humorous results.

Disclaimer: Harry Potter and co. belongs to J.K. Rowlings. Bless her heart! :P I waaaaaaaaant em!!

Warnings: AU, fluff, humor, sap.

Word Count: 1307 words

Rating: PG-13 at the worst!

Pairing: trio! Hr/HP/RW, hinted Bill/Remus

Summary: Harry and Ron want to do something special for Hermione. But who knew Muggle cooking was so hard!

A/N: First, thanks to MA for the beta! I wuv yooooou! Secondly, this is for the triofqf on LJ. A special thanks to calliope_14 for 'leading' me here and to tarie for just being a great mod here! This is my first time writing Trio, so be brutal! A very special thanks to my sis for brainstorming with me on this last part as well as the one before! Also thanks to my mom for the previous three!! Much thanks and feedback is very much appreciated! Enjoy!

 

'thoughts'

 

Roars of laughter washed over the house of Remus and Bill as the males of the Weasley family sat around, listening and going over the miserable tales of Ron and Harry's attempts at home style cooking. Ron sat slumped in his chair as the laughter and comments floated out while Harry sat with his chin on his fist, glaring at them half-heartedly.

 

"And you set fire to the dining room!? Oh that would have been something to see!!" Fred cackled out as he slapped his knee, causing renewed laughter to echo around the house.

 

"Yea well how was I to know?!" Ron demanded as he sat up, jaw set as he glared at his brothers.

 

"Ronald…how else do you think? Moderation is indeed a good thing," Percy said with a smirk as he pushed his glasses up and took another swig of his butter beer, ignoring the glare he got from his youngest brother.

 

"Oh and I'm so sure that you bloody well know everything, Percy!" Ron shot back, growling.

 

"Asking doesn't hurt," Percy replied pointedly, looking down his nose at his brother, even though he was sitting and Ron was standing. "Mum knows quite a bit, but following directions are good as well."

 

Growling as he humphed, Ron sat back down as the other men laughed and nodded. Harry patted his knee, sighing inwardly. Who knew how fast Ginny's mouth would have spread the word?

 

Hermione had told Ginny all that had happened with their recent kitchen fiascos and the red head had made the mistake of telling the twins. So, when the weekly get together of the remaining Weasley men came about…everyone knew.

 

Much to Harry and Ron's chagrin.

 

"What it seems to me is that you need to have someone walk you through a dinner," Remus said thoughtfully as he sipped his wine, smirking at his lover from the corner of his eye. "Bill has learned several meals that way."

 

"So have I. And so have the twins. There's nothing wrong with asking," Percy added with a tilt of his head.

 

"Yea but we went to one of those Muggle cooking shows! What more could we do? I ain't askin' Mum!" Ron cried, glaring at George as he started laughing.

 

"Well…why don't I teach you something? It's real simple and you can't go wrong once you get going," Bill offered as he leaned back and put an arm around Remus' shoulders, grinning. "We can get together, go shopping so you know what to get, and then I'll help you learn."

 

Harry glanced at Ron and they had a silent conversation with their eyes. After a minute of expectant silence, the two looked over at the eldest Weasley. "Deal."

 

*~~**~~*

 

Sighing inwardly as she shut and locked the door behind her, Hermione leaned back against it, eyes closed tiredly as she relaxed. Home…it had never felt so good. Her office mates had celebrated her birthday with a little bash, which had been a delightful surprise, but now she was glad to just be home. Even though she was inwardly somewhat dreading coming home to finding another cooking attempt waiting for her.

 

She took another deep breath and headed for the kitchen, slowing down as she noted how dim the lights were. She frowned slightly, wondering if maybe her boys had forgotten what day it was. Saddened and a little hurt at the thought, she went into her bedroom and changed into her lounging outfit of silk pajama bottoms and top, then went to the dining room.

 

Reaching to turn on the lights, she stopped as she saw that the table had been set for three, candles lighting the room with a soft glow. She tilted her head as she heard her favorite classical music playing, and then noticed the small wrapped packages near where she would sit. She smiled, blinking back tears as Ron and Harry came into the dining room, holding dishes.

 

"Welcome home, birthday girl," Harry said warmly, as he placed his dish down, then went over to her and kissed her cheek.

 

"What he said. Happy Birthday, Hermione," Ron murmured quietly as he did the same, giving her a warm hug.

 

Sniffling, Hermione giggled as she hugged them both tightly. "Oh thank you! You didn't forget!"

 

"Hell no! We've been plotting for a couple of weeks now!" Harry proclaimed and both young men flushed as she giggled even more.

 

"Is that what those disasters of cooking were?" she asked teasingly, cupping their cheeks as their faces burned. "I should've known."

 

"Yea well…come on then! Come and eat! We promise that this time, it's good," Ron replied gruffly as he took her hand and they went to the table. She sat down, smiling as she was pushed in. Harry placed a napkin on her lap while Ron dished up the food.

 

Blinking in surprise, Hermione watched as soft glistening penne noodles were placed on her plate, followed by shrimp that was covered in a rich sauce of garlic and butter. A crisp green salad followed, little ripe tomatoes rolling out before being covered in her favorite bleu cheese. A couple of slices of Italian bread completed the stunning dinner and she looked up at them in wonder.

 

"Bill taught us and he taught us a couple of others so you don't have to do the cooking anymore," Harry murmured as he saw the look, grinning. "And we have dessert too, so don't fill up!"

 

Hermione giggled and looked back at her plate. Slowly, she brought up her fork and took a bit of the pasta and shrimp. Hesitating only for a few seconds, she took the bite and chewed.

 

Harry and Ron watched her intently, both tense with anxiety as they watched her taste their work. Her eyes suddenly fluttered closed and she moaned in delight. "Oh this is excellent! The garlic mixes so well with the shrimp and the butter! And the pasta is perfect!" she cried as she looked up at them, beaming.

 

Breathing sighs of relief, which earned more giggles from her; the two young men sat down as well and dug into their own food. The three talked quietly about their days, laughing here and there at the funny bits as they ate. After dinner, Harry brought in three small plates that each held a small pastry filled with tapioca pudding and berries. Hermione squealed in delight and ate it slowly, savoring the mixture of the pastry, the sweet pudding, and the berries. Afterwards, they moved to the living room where Hermione opened her gifts from them, which were some books, a necklace, and some hair clips.

 

Content, the trio sat before their fireplace together, curled around the other as they dozed in and out of peaceful sleep. Feeling her two boys around her, Hermione smiled sweetly. Now these…were the finer things in life.

 

FIN

 


End file.
